Trigger safety for firearms



Nov. 3, 1953 v. A. BROWNING v 2,657,490

TRIGGER SAFETY FOR FIREARMS Filed Jul 10. 1951 3nveritor VAL A. BROWN/N u M M Gnome,

Patented Nov. 3, 1953 UlED 4 Claims.

This invention relates to firearms and more particularly to an improved trigger safety mechanism.

It is the aim of the invention to provide an effective safety mechanism for firearms which may be economically fabricated and assembled; which is characterized by its simplicity; which is arranged for convenient operation whether the firearm be raised in firing position or otherwise held; which can be operated by right or left-handed marks-men holding the firearm in firing position and without requiring adjustment of the hands incident to operation; and which visibly indicates the on and off positions.

Other objects will be in part obvious, and in part pointed out mor in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a firearm having a trigger safety mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention and showing the safety in the on position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with parts in cross section so as to disclose the details of the 1 safety device which is shown in the off position;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken substantially as indicated byline 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the rear portion of the trigger guard which accommodates the safety device; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the safety device removed from the firearm.

The safety device of the present invention can be utilized with any type firearm having a trigger operatively disposed within a trigger guard, and in the present illustrative disclosure, a portion of such a firearm is shown, the portion being taken at the joinder of the receiver l6 The receiver l0 carries a triga and the stock i l. ger plate I4 which supports the trigger 12 in a conventional manner as by pivot pin I3 and the receiver also supports an integrally formed trigger guard 15 which is spaced about the depending portion of the trigger I2.

In accordance with the present invention, the trigger guard i5 is provided with an elongated slot is rearwardly of the trigger i2 to receive the safety device H. The safety 11 comprises a generally V-shaped spring l8 which is disposed in the slot is with its apex l9 projecting rearwardly and with its ends 20 and 2! projecting forwardly of the slot. The ends 2:; and 2| secure lower and upper bridging members 22 and 23, respectively, which straddle or bridge the slot It on the inner surface of the rear wall of the guard and the apex IQ of spring l8 cradles another bridging member 2 3 which straddles the slot It on the external surface of the rear wall guard l5. In the present illustrative disclosure, the /-shaped spring is is in the form of a strip or leaf having its ends 23 and 22 looped or rolled so as to embrace the bridging members 22 and 23, respectively. In this embodiment, the members 22 and 23 comprise equally sized pins or rollers each of which has an annular bearing groove 28 intermediate its ends to accommodate the rolled ends of the spring I8. Thus, the pins or rollers 22 and 23 are rotatably journaled in the spring ends 20 and 2|. The bridging member 24 disposed in the apex of the spring I3 is also formed as a pin or roller but is diametrically larger than the rollers 22 and 23. An annular bearing groove 29 is provided intermediate the ends of the roller M to accommodate the spring 18 and to permit rotation of the pin 24 relative to the spring and along the outer surface of the guard l5. Thus the movement of the safety along the guard is facilitated by the rotary movement of the pins which act in the manner of roller bearings.

The slot i6 accommodates movement of the safety device I? along the guard 15 between a raised or ofi position of the safety and a low ered or on position of the safety. The guard 55 is provided on its inner surface with an upper transversely disposed indexing notch 25 between the ends of slot iii and a lower indexing notch 25 which is adjacent the lower end of the slot it. The notches 25 and 2c are arranged to receive and nest the lower pin or roller 22 in the aforeciescribed positions of the safety i7. When the roller 22 is nested in the upper notch 25, the safety is in the off position and when the roller 22 is in the lower notch the safety ii is in the on position. In the last mentioned nested position of the safety ii, the roller 22 is disposed rearwardly of the lowermost end portion 21 of the trigger E2 to block rearward, movement of the trigger and thereby prevent firing of the firearm.

The safety 5'! is assembled on the guard l5 after the rollers 22 and 23 have been journaled by the spring is. The spring ends 29 and 2! are then squeezed towards each other and the apex of the spring is thrust through the slot it from inside the trigger guard and the roller 24 is disposed within the apex externally of the guard while the spring end are held in the squeezed audition. After ins 'on of the roller 2 the spring ends are released so that the arms of the springIS flex outwardly to bring each of the rollers 22, 23 and 2 into firm engagement with the surfaces of the guard. The roller 23 cannot be inadvertently dislodged from the safety bealong the outer surface of the guard l5: As previously mentioned, the safety is. in the, on position when the roller 22 is seated within the notch 26 and is in the off position when. seated.-

within the notch 25. The roller 22 is seated with. a snap-like action in each of the notches due to the resilient construction of. the leaf spring i8 and the roller 22. rolls along the inner surface of the guard and along. the-walls of the notches in. the manner of a cam. The safety cannot be displaced. from the on position. by operation of the trigger since, the rearwardly-die rected fOlce on the trigger is transferred to. the roller 2.2 in a direction substantially normal to the bottom of the notch125, Thus, the roller 22 cannot be cammed out of the lower or on notch by movement of the trigger. The snap'action of the safety will be felt by the operator or marks.- man to indicate proper positioning of the. safety and, in addition, the disposition of, the safety in either of its positions readily observable.

It should be-noted that in the on position of the safety, the roller 22 i immediately behind the lower end of the trigger which is the. end farthest removed from its pivot. Thus, the possibility of overriding the safety by the application of trigger leverage is removed, another advantage in thefoolproof construction of the present safety mechanism.

The safety can be easily operated in any position in which the gun is held. For instance, if the gun is held in firing position with the marksmans index finger closed on the trigger, the safety can be operated by the middle finger which is disposed adjacent operating roller 24 incident to gripping the stock H. Obviously, the safety can be manipulated to alterits position in either direction without shifting the position of the hands on the gun incident to'such operation.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope-thereof, it is intended that all matter contained inthe above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpretedas illustrative'and not in. a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific featuresv of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a safety for firearms, a trigger guard having a section disposed rearwardly of the trigger and. provided with an elongated slot, a generally V-shaped spring disposed in said slot with its apex extending rearwardly of said section and with its ends extending forwardly thereof, an intermediate bridging member disposed in the apex of the spring in straddling relation to the slot and engaging the rear face of said guard section, and a bridging member carried by each 4 end of the spring in straddling relation to the slot and engaging the forward face of the guard section.

2. In a safety for firearms, a trigger guard having, a section disposed rearwardly of the trigger and provided with an elongated slot, said guard section having a pair of transverse notches on its forward face, one of said notches being disposed. adjacent one end of said slot and the other of said notches being disposed between the. ends of" said slot, a generally V-shaped spring disposed in said slot with its apex extending rearwardly of said section and with its ends extending: forwardly thereof, an intermediate bridging member disposed in the apex of the spring in straddling relation to the slot and engaging the rear face of the section, and a bridging member carried by each end of the spring in straddling relation to the slot and engaging the forward. face of. the section, said spring being movable within said slot whereby one of the bridging membersengaging the forward face of the. section is. selectively positioned within said notches- 3. In a safety for firearms, a trigger guard having a section disposed rearwardly of the trigger and. provided with an elongated slot, said section having a transverse notch on its inner surface, a generally V-shaped leaf spring disposedin. said slot with its apex extending rearwardly of. saidsection, said spring having looped end portions extendingforwardly from said section, an intermediate roller disposed in the apex of said spring in. straddling relation. to the slot and engaging the rear facev of said section, and a roller carried by each of said looped end portions in straddling relation to. the slotand engaging the forward face of said section, said. spring being.movablewithinsaid slot froma safety on position. wherein one of the rollers engaging the forward. face. of said section is disposed within saidnotchto block movement of thetrigger and a safety off position. permitting firing movementof the trigger.

4.. a. safety device. for firearms, a trigger guard having a section disposed rearwardly of the. trigger. and provided with an elongated slot, a leaf spring having at each end thereof a bridging member in straddling relation to the slot and slidably engaging one face of said section, and an intermediate bridging member. connected to the centraL portion of said spring and engaging the other face of said section in straddling relation to said slot, said spring being held under stress by said bridging members for. resiliently maintaining said bridging members in engagement' with the respective faces of said section.

VAL BROWNING.

- References Cited in. the file of. this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

